CHILDHOOD GAMES | 90s & Early 00s

Friday 6 April 2018



Since I can remember, I've always been a gamer. I remember sitting on my Nan's sofa with my dad's computer playing games I shouldn't be playing at the age of 5. Such as Duke Nukem and Doom. Even just playing Solitaire and clicking through Encarta (You remember that gem of a program?!) molded the gamer that I am today. I dug deep in research to find some childhood memories for this post, some games I had long forgotten about and ended up googling them all and getting serious nostalgia! So sit back with a cuppa and get reading.


The first console I remember having was a Sega Saturn. I would always switch between playing on the Sega to the PC. The Sega gave me games such as Tomb Raider (which I would eventually get again for the PS1) , Nights into Dreams & Virtua Fighter. During my PC time, I'd be playing the likes of Doom, Black and White, Dungeon Keeper, Metal Gear Solid, GTA and eventually The Sims but my all time favourite games to play on the PC were Deus Ex and No One Lives Forever. I'd eventually end up getting Deus Ex on PC as well as Playstation and the same with No One Lives Forever, which is a game that was very hard to get in the later years, but some geniuses decided to put it up for free so you can download it and play in all it's updated glory. I'm a huge fan-girl for Deus Ex. Just ask anyone.


Over the years I had various handheld consoles such as NEOGEO POCKET, Gameboy Advance (which I sadly lost in a house move) and a Nintendo DS. But none of them compared to having a Playstation or a PC. My dad always told me to never get an Xbox as any game for that would just play on the PC anyway. So I never had an xbox growing up, until a few years ago when I bought an XB1 for my hubby just for exclusives. Although it's rarely played on, it does have a special place under the tv with my PS4. I will always be a Playstation Girl. Since PS1, I've gotten every upgrade. I sadly got rid of my first playstation when I was younger as I opted for a Playstation 2 that had playback ability. I regret giving up my first PS but I still own my PS2, PS3 and now PS4. I still love gaming on a PC, but by god, PC's are money burning machines and I don't have the money to upgrade mine. It's dead in a corner for now. I've also never been a big Nintendo fan, so you won't see the likes of Zelda or Mario. Fact: I've never played a Zelda game. Maybes I should get one for my Nintendo 3DS. I've played Final Fantasy but it wasn't a game that I got into due to the gameplay. However I found it quite beautiful.


Looking back and trying to remember some of the games I played or were recommended by my father and I've come to realize that my dad heavily influenced the games I've come to love today. From Parasite Eve to Half Life. He always liked to try and show me games or films not for my age, irresponsible parenting, probably, but joyous when he realizes I loved the same games. One time he decided to stick on Alien but skip to the scene where it pops out of the guys chest. I think I was 9 or 10 at the time, he also let me play Max Payne which I was too young for (guys, remember the baby scene, ok?!) Throughout my early years heading into my teen years, I remember spending a lot of time on the Playstation playing games such as Urban Chaos (which I adored and now want a remaster), Dino Crisis, Tomb Raider, The Fifth Element & Max Payne ( I also had this for PC too, turns out the baby scene didn't bother me), Silent Hill and games that have a remaster now like Spyro and Crash Bandicoot. The game reviews for The Fifth Element were horrendous, but at the time I adored this game because anything Fifth Element, I tried to get my hands on. I actually re-bought it again on eBay after missing my first copy that got given away with my PS1.


Coming from a gamer family, hey, even my mom would play Tomb Raider or those weird Bee games on the Sky TV (only 90's/early 00's kids will know) it's something I love. I love getting a physical copy of a new game. Spending hours upon hours (I'm looking at you The Witcher 3, Borderlands & the entire Mass Effect series) getting lost in quests and making friends who enjoy the same games as me. I've never been one to play World Of Warcraft, I tried the trial many years ago and got bored, which is the same on every MMOPRG I've ever played. I get to level 50 or something and abandon all hope of ever playing it again unless something peaks my interest like freebies. I do enjoy various MMOPRG, I'm just super picky about them.


There are a few games I researched and remembered so vividly once I found out the name of the game. Such as Nightmare Creatures, I spent hours on this game and Nights into Dreams. And I also had those games that were for "kids" Harry Potter, Toy StoryRayman, Hercules and Oddworld. Of course my Dad would also buy games that were secretly for him to play. Such as 007 Tomorrow Never Dies (he told me this was for mum, but we played it more) GTA 3, Driver and Thief. I ended up really enjoying Thief and GTA.

These days it brings me great joy when an old game I loved playing gets a remaster or a HD upgrade. I still enjoy replaying the first Deus Ex, No One Lives Forever and Tomb Raider. It gives me great nostalgia and this year, Spyro and Crash Bandicoot have brought that back.

I'm slowly going through newer releases and finding games I have yet to play that I find I would enjoy. It took me many years after Saint's Row 2 to finally play that series and it's one of my favourite games to play. The Witcher 3 and Skyrim are the same. 2018 has many new releases that I cannot wait to play and games that have been announced that I'm very excited for. This year I can't wait to get my hands on Detroit Become Human, Monster Hunter World, Far Cry 5, Spiderman , Tomb Raider & Vampyr to name a few. I'm also looking forward to the new magical game by concernedape (the guys that made Stardew Valley)

Maybes one day, I will eventually stream some of these childhood games I mentioned on Twitch.Tv but for now I will settle with good gaming memories.

Did you play any of these games mentioned? Do you come from a gaming background?


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